The present invention relates to wire delivery systems, such as a raceway, and fittings used for connecting more than one raceway. In particular, the fittings are formed of various elbows and tees to allow the wire delivery system to easily manage corners of a room.
Wire delivery systems, such as raceways, are employed to hold and manage wires, such as voice, data, and power wiring. Specifically, the raceway is mounted to a supporting surface, such as a wall or ceiling, and the raceway distributes the wires carried herein throughout a room. Fittings, such as interior and exterior elbows and tees, are used to connect more than one raceway, especially when negotiating corners of the room. This provides efficient delivery and management of the wiring throughout a room while hiding the unattractive wires.
Particular types of wiring, fiber optic or category 5 cable, can require certain bend radii when the direction of the wiring changes, such as at a corner of a room. As a result, it is necessary to make and use special fittings that add a curved base having the appropriate bend radius to avoid damage to the wires or cables. Commonly, one type of raceway fitting is used for wire or cable needing a specific bend radius while another is used when the wire or cable does not need a specific bend radius. This type of situation increases costs and is inefficient.
Examples of prior art fittings are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos.: 6,002,089 to Hemingway et al.; 5,753,855 to Nicoli et al.; 5,390,968 to Favalora; 5,469,893 to Caveney et al.; 5,929,380 Carlson, Jr. et al.; 5,161,580 to Klug; 4,951,716 to Tsunoda et al,; and D413,306 to Scherer et al. and U.K. Pat. No. 1,493,410.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an improved raceway fitting that is cost effective and efficient to use.
Another object of the present invention is provide a raceway fitting that can be employed in applications needing a curved based or applications not requiring a curved base.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide a raceway fitting that can be used with a mitered connection between raceways or with a curved adapter.
The foregoing primary object is basically attained by a cover fitting for a raceway, comprising a top having inner and outer surfaces and first and second curved walls extending along the inner surface forming a first segment of a first groove for receiving a first partition of a raceway base fitting covered by the cover fitting. The top further includes a plurality of securing members extending outwardly from its inner surface for engaging a portion of a raceway base. The cover fitting also has a first side extending outwardly from the inner surface and a second side extending outwardly from the inner surface remote from the first side.
The foregoing primary object is also attained by a method of connecting two substantially identical cover fittings to a raceway wherein said two substantially identical cover fittings include first and second cover fittings, each of the first and second cover fittings have a top and opposing first and second sides. The method comprises the steps of placing the first cover fitting over a junction point of two raceway bases, the junction point being a miter joint and placing the second cover fitting over a curved base fitting coupled between two raceway bases.
One benefit of the invention is that by designing the cover fitting in this fashion, it can be employed either with a base for accommodating wiring such as category 5 which mat require a specific bend radius, or without a base for wiring not requiring a specific bend radius. Therefore, the need for two separate cover fittings for each application is eliminated reducing manufacturing costs and increasing efficiency in employing a raceway delivery system.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.